Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 01 Mar, 2022 01:30 PM
VANCOUVER - A special prosecutor says British Columbia's former clerk of the legislative assembly used public funds to enrich himself in "glaring and egregious" ways.
Brock Martland made the allegation as he began closing arguments in the Crown's case against Craig James, who has pleaded not guilty to two counts of fraud over $5,000 and three counts of breach of trust.
James's defence is expected to present its case Wednesday.
Martland says that as the most senior officer of the legislature, James held a position akin to the CEO and was responsible for financial stewardship of the institution.
He accused James of acting outside of his duties by picking up a wood splitter and trailer for the legislature and storing them at home for a year, exploiting a weakness in the system to award himself a $258,000 retirement benefit and charging souvenirs to the public purse.
Martland says public trust in government officials is a critical part of a functioning democracy, and he alleged that James violated that trust.
"This case is about trust, specifically the public trust that we place in government officials," Martland told the court on Tuesday.
"Our position is that the public trust was violated repeatedly and extensively by Craig James."
An Ontario infectious disease specialist says there is evidence testing all travellers before and after they arrive in Canada will identify most cases of COVID-19 coming into the country. Dr. Zain Chagla says playing "whack-a-mole" with travel bans affecting only some countries is based on political expediency, not science.
Ambassador Keung Ryong Chang says that expectation is based on Canada's historic support for the United Nations and peacekeeping, and not any specific knowledge about Ottawa's plans.
The over pass where these incidents took place is between the 32 Avenue and King George Boulevard exits of Highway 99. It connects the 3700-block of 148 street to several walking paths in the area. Investigators are releasing details about each of these incidents and are asking anyone with information or dashcam video to contact Surrey RCMP.
Police in Delta, B.C., say an investigation into a fire that burned down a commercial building on New Year's Day last year has ended with a guilty plea. Deputy Chief Harj Sidhu says officers retrieved key information from a digital video recorder that had been submerged in water, through help from the local fire department and municipal engineering services.
There are currently 3,020 active cases of COVID-19 in the province and 213,694 people who tested positive have recovered. Of the active cases, 284 individuals are in hospital and 97 are in intensive care. The remaining people are recovering at home in self-isolation.
House of Commons Speaker Anthony Rota says the chamber's governing body overstepped its authority when it required anyone entering the Commons precinct to be fully vaccinated. Rota has sided with the Conservatives in concluding that the all-party board of internal economy did not have the authority to impose a vaccine mandate.
